A Villain's True Nature
by Mademoiselle Anime Amour
Summary: A curly-haired pirate captain with a hook for a hand and a split personality. What's not to love? Victoria Lane, sarcastic relation to Wendy Darling, is curious enough to find out. But, is there really anything to love about Hook?
1. Part 1

**A/N: Right, hey, everybody. I'm new to the Peter Pan fandom with this story. The weird thing is, though, I wasn't originally going to write this story. Because, well, it came to me in a dream in a way. Only it was me in the dream instead of an OC, obviously. And well, it was a bit trippy, with all these fragmented images that made little sense. So, what I did here was connect these images and tried to make this story less dream-influenced. Kind of weird.**

**I originally was not going to put this up either, but I decided to anyway. By lightly book-based, it basically means I looked the book plot up on Wikipedia. Sad, I know, but I've actually never read Peter Pan in its entirety. Only part of it as a ten-year-old girl with a short attention span. XD**

**Disclaimer: I don't have any rights to the story or the characters mentioned.**

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><p><strong>A Villain's True Nature<strong>

**Part 1**

While Neverland remained eternally unchanged, Earth went through numerous changes since Wendy Darling's encounter with that realm. Her daughter Jane had gone through the same thing, but like her sensible mother, she chose to grow up as well. Not only that, but as someone far more adventurous in comparison, she immigrated to America with her husband Frederick. There, a new generation thrived to present day.

In an uneventful Iowa small town, Jane's daughter Melinda Lane and her husband Bill lived outside the town on a farm. Their daughter Victoria, Tori for short, was yet another generation from the Darling line of women. Eighteen years of age, she was to go to college in Cedar Rapids that fall.

All she had was this final quiet summer to take stock of her life and reconcile with the fact she would abandon childhood. That one thought secretly terrified her. Outwardly, Victoria seemed relatively calm, even excited about going to college. Yes, she would miss her comfortably sized group of friends, but it was time to move on. She liked to call herself the optimistic type.

But, there was one thing that Tori would miss most of all about childhood. Like her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother before her, she had visited Neverland, thanks to the elusive, impish Peter Pan.

He had taken her on adventures that were the stuff of dreams, dreams she wished she could hold tightly forever. Initially, she had been charmed by him, what with his jokes and his ever interesting ways to thwart Captain Hook. The past couple of years, therein lay the problem.

How many times had that man attempted to keep her as his own, steal her away? It had happened ever since Tori was around fifteen or sixteen, and the frequency of these attempts almost alarmed her. They keenly reminded her of this beloved movie she watched as a child, when a certain goblin king tried to lure a teenage girl away from his labyrinth. To be his forever. Tori constantly wondered why the heroine refused to accept him. Now, fairly recently, she knew why.

Frankly, this Captain Hook was extremely insensible that bordered on obnoxious. He used tricks such as treating her to this fantastic dinner once, and then when he showed her this exotic island where he had buried his treasure. As Tori pondered over this on her morning walk to the stables, she realized that Hook, in these moments, became less one-dimensional. When he fought with Peter, on the other hand, he behaved cruelly by threatening to feed her to the sharks. Did he have a split personality? It sure felt that way to her. There was a striking parallel between him and that goblin king.

Ageless yet...She shook her head as she reached her destination.

Was _daunting_ perhaps the word? Crafty? Sly? Any of those adjectives could describe Hook to a tee. Yet, he seemed quite desperate at times to show another side, one he was too proud to show. How idiotic!

First of all, Tori internally rationalized, Hook appeared unappealing. His hat was too gaudy and that awful mustache too greasy. The hairy mustache aged him twenty years, and oh, how Tori hated facial hair! Not to mention the hook...

"Hm, a love interest? Yeah, right," she muttered to her favorite horse Mabel.

She would soon be surprised by what was to come.

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><p>On a ship in a different world far, far away, Captain Hook impatiently gazed into a crystal ball. The reason why he detested the blasted thing was that too many clouds gathered around the image inside. That marketer had ripped him off! Such a shady dealing even he, as a wicked captain, would never sink himself down to. All he desired was to see what she was currently up to...<p>

Oh, blast it all, why did he care? Victoria Lane had come from a line of perplexing women: Wendy the clever one, Jane the bold, and Melinda the sarcastic one and the one who Hook liked least. To him, all three were quite abominable, really. What made Victoria so unique?

Hook pushed himself back from the rough-hewn table. He had to dwell on this problem.

Perhaps it was because her intriguing personality consisted of the three traits that the women before her had. There was so much more to her than what met the eye. And the most shocking miracle of all was that she never aggravated him...for the most part. The only times he had been irritated by her were when she would leave. She always left, never stayed. On one occasion he recalled quite vividly, he asked her why she always went.

"_If you want to know so badly," she teased cruelly (in his opinion) with a glint in her eye. "I guess I'll tell you."_

_He shouted at her, "Get on with it then!"_

_How could he forget the moment when seventeen-year-old Victoria's eyes met his evenly? His blue eyes clashing with her hazel—though, if one looked carefully, one would see a hint of green._

_She hardly suppressed a giggle. "Hook, you're really a silly man—actually, more like an idiot. In fact, no, you're unbelievably stupid. I have a _family_. I'm sure you've heard of one of those. It's two parents who love each other very much—"_

"_Silence, you wicked girl! I know full well what a family is. Now why won't—?"_

_Here, Victoria smiled. "You don't understand. I care about my parents. I'm going now."_

That smile...Hook managed to resist the urge to shudder. For, that smile broke him or threatened to, as he could never truly be broken.

Considering he met with—no, tried to lure—the girl once since that moment, he could hardly stand it. Where was she? What was she doing? Was she with her parents to give them comfort that their only child was still there? Did she go to that school place?

Did she have a beau?

Grimacing in horror, he proceeded to grab the crystal ball and shake it as hard as he could, demanding that he observe Victoria. Eventually, the misty clouds inside parted at last to reveal the very face he sought.

Victoria currently patted a gray horse on the nose and appeared to be engaging in conversation with it. How deplorable! She preferred the company of a filthy animal to him? Frowning out of annoyance, Hook wondered why this troubled him. Honestly, it shouldn't have since she shared a close friendship with that Pan. He needed to win against that boy at some point.

Shaking off the fury from his vendetta, he studied the image further, finding himself gazing at those glittering eyes and her brown hair thrown into a sloppy ponytail. From what he could make out, she stood in a stable in the middle of nowhere. Cornfields lay beyond the exit to those stables.

How dull a place. No wonder she escaped to Neverland throughout her adolescent years, lasting far longer than Wendy, Jane, and Melinda. Maybe the fact she had family kept her in this terrible place. What sort of life was there to return to each time she left Neverland? Virtually nothing but farm animals. This caused the gears in Hook's head to turn. Suppose he pinpointed the exact location of the farm where she lived out her tedious existence? In her own world, she could give in to the prospect of staying with him at last.

He could convince her. He must. And so, Hook formed his plan.

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><p>Later that afternoon, Tori's parents left for a bigger city to celebrate their twenty-third wedding anniversary. They trusted their daughter enough to watch over home while they were away.<p>

Her mother cradled her face in both hands. "You'll be all right on your own, won't you, baby?"

She sighed at this embarrassing gesture. "Yeah, Mom, I'll be fine."

"You probably know my cellphone number by now. Don't burn down the house while we're gone, Tori," her father joked.

"I won't, Dad. Bye, you two."

"Bye," they echoed as they finally walked out the door.

Even though she would be leaving for college soon, Tori couldn't help but get the sense that her parents still treated her like a child. Once she puzzled it over, she supposed she could understand. They would deeply miss her when she was gone, attending classes and living dorm life. As an only child, she would be more susceptible to that kind of treatment. In the meantime, she had the whole house to herself.

"Nothing to do around here," she said to herself, opening up the fridge to get a can of soda. She longed for the vast expanse of Neverland, a magical place where she would never have to worry about boredom.

A pinch of pixie dust, and she would fly over the islands, the lagoons, the forests, and a pirate ship that sailed on the seven seas. If she could come back to visit for at least ten minutes, she would trade this humdrum farm life. Peter Pan would be there to greet her once again, and a new set of adventures would commence.

Tori looked fondly out the window, pretending the farmland was the forest where the Lost Boys hid out. A few thoughtful sips of soda later, she decided that maybe another walk would satisfy her.

She put the soda back in the fridge, took out an apple—red and shiny—for Mabel, and unlocked the door. To breathe fresh country air was one of the few perks of living out in the middle of nowhere.

The lowing of cows in pasture, the singing of swallows and sparrows alike, and even an occasional whinny from one of the horses redeemed this place for her. Attending college in the city would give her the sense of being a fish out of water. Yes, she realized as soon as she walked on the bright green grass, she would miss this place, too. So, she would miss two places at once: her home and her escape. Nothing could ruin the sweetness of her solitude. Except maybe an intruder.

Which was exactly what Tori acutely felt as she meandered toward the stables. A pair of eyes surely watched her because sharp tingles went up and down her spine. There was no possible way anyone could be here now. After all, she stood by herself on one acre of two hundred, her family's property. And it was in _Iowa_, the most peaceful spot in America or so she thought. The sky looked big here, hardly any skyscrapers or air pollution to disturb it. No one knew her parents here since the closest neighbor lived two and a half miles away.

Unless it was someone from Neverland.

"Maybe Peter's come to visit me for a change," Tori mused, tossing and catching the Macintosh apple. Knowing Peter, he probably hid in the stables to surprise her.

So, on she went inside her cherished refuge, hoping that her friend from long ago would surprise her.

She called, "Peter! Hey, Peter, is that you? I know you're in here! Come on, you're usually quicker than this. Yo, Peter Pan!"

"I'm afraid, my dear," another familiar voice sneered. "Peter is unavailable at the moment. But, guess who else from Neverland is here?"

Tori didn't need to guess. That slick voice she would recognize anywhere.

She had to play it cool before she panicked, though. Screaming in high pitches was the typical girl's way out. However, she knew this other guy quite well, and she would deal with him accordingly. Besides, if he dragged her back to his ship, Peter would drop in to save the day. Then again, it wasn't like she couldn't handle the situation herself. Tori came from generations of strong women. Those genes were on her side.

Sarcastically, she commented, "Nice of you to drop by, Hooky. Since I'm polite and all, what can I get you? Coffee? Tea? Milk?"

Sure enough, Captain Hook emerged from the shadows of an empty stable toward the back. Tori smirked—figures, he would conceal himself where she was unable to initially see him.

Hook slowly, deliberately stepped toward her until he stopped just a few, short feet away. It was appropriate now to apply the word _daunting _here. He removed his feather embellished red hat and gave her a mocking bow.

"I apologize, Victoria, but I haven't the time to chat. I'm here to fetch you from this pigsty."

Tori bit the inside of her cheek to prevent herself from laughing. Did he mistake her for some damsel in distress who needed to be "rescued" from miserable Iowa? He could not have shown up at a worse time. After all, she realized that there were benefits to being where she was.

Finally, after feigning that she actually considered running off with him (probably the last person she would ever choose), she replied, "Wait a second, Hooky, I need to explain some things to you. K, first of all, since when did you want to play hero? You're the least heroic man I've ever met—you can't even overcome your phobia of crocodiles. Yes, it's a phobia, and don't admit to it being something else. Then, number two, I like it here in this pigsty. There's no way this kidnapping scheme of yours is gonna work. How many times have you done this now? I've never fallen for it."

Oh, that mouth on that girl would get her in trouble yet, Hook thought to himself as he felt himself get angrier and angrier with everything she said. Despite her age, she was no more than an ungrateful, ignorant child! Couldn't she see what he planned to do here? This was a rescue mission, not a kidnapping one. As he crossed his arms, he knew that he had nothing to gain through capturing her. He inwardly admitted that that idea had been quite the cliché after a while. This time, though, he believed the difference was that he looked at things from a different angle.

"I would be careful using that tongue, you insolent girl, if I were you. But, since I'm not you, I would just as soon cut it off!"

"Aw, really?" Tori playfully batted her eyelashes at him. "I thought you enjoyed the sound of my enchanting voice, Hooky."

"And stop calling me that! It's Hook or Captain or, better yet, _sir_. You really ought to know your place. You are clearly not taking this situation seriously, I can see that."

"No," she acknowledged, tossing her apple up in the air again. "I'm not. I never could, honestly. After all, the only reason I let you kidnap me all those times was that it was too much fun. Pretending to get into a massive scrape like that, letting you be your version of 'nice' to me, Peter rescuing me..."

Hook had been degraded to a fool in his own eyes, when once he had pompously deemed himself clever. This girl managed to hoodwink him every time he went about capturing her. And the only reason he had been "nice", as she put it so snidely, was that he enjoyed winning. In the end, he had been losing and nowhere near to satisfying his lust for revenge against Pan. Somewhere in that crooked heart of his, he felt betrayed by Victoria who played it like a game that often. To say the least, this downright infuriated him.

"Sadistic wench!" he nearly screamed, closing the distance between them.

Meanwhile, Tori had a sinking feeling in her stomach that she crossed the line with her teasing. However, Hook misunderstood her, as such a silly man would. Or maybe she misunderstood herself. Gathering all her recollections, she astounded herself by coming to the conclusion that being captured had brought about benefits. Thanks to him, she got to see more of Neverland, and he allowed her to with an observant eye. As she ended up on the ship more and more often, he would even point out some sights to her, such as a flock of brightly colored macaws. If anything, she truly enjoyed these moments.

"You wouldn't hurt me, Hook," she declared as though unaffected by his anger. "You had many chances to in the past, but you never did. I don't fear you at all."

Sunlight from a nearby window reflected itself in the metallic silver of his hook in place of a right hand. Boiling ire contorted his facial features to the extent that Tori wondered if she should have been so confident in his harmlessness.

He may have lost his hand to a crocodile, thus his fear of all crocodiles, but that must have hardened him further. So, her refusal to go with him irritated him beyond relief, because he needed to have control along with getting things his way. She had witnessed how he would bark out demands to his crew, who would complete whatever task he had in store for them. No questions asked. No opposition. Hook had become a glutton for power, and that had clearly spoiled him.

Before she was remotely aware of it, Tori had taken a few steps back from him to obtain some breathing room. This was getting more intense than what she bargained for. She had expected banter that would perturb Hook enough to surrender and retreat to Neverland. Unluckily for her, not this time.

His blazing blue eyes scorched her. "You find me pathetic, do you, Victoria? I only amuse you? Well, you haven't the scarcest idea of how terrifying I can be."

"How?" She promised to test him.

He smirked. "You will find out soon enough."

Proceeding to pace back and forth, Tori struggled to grasp what he planned to do. Why was he so calm all of a sudden when he threatened to explode a couple minutes ago? This made no sense.

Until he gave her an ultimatum. "Victoria"—a very stern tone—"This is your last chance. Will you go back with me?"

She shook her head. "I can't. I've thought it over and...I have to grow up. I got to go to college. Granted, I have no idea what I'm going to do but—"

"Silence! You dare defy me?"

"Ah, you're pissed again. And here I thought you'd be mellow."

Despite her taunts, she dropped the apple and ran with him in pursuit.

Tori had the advantage since she was accustomed to roaming out of doors, out in the country air. There was something about that air that rejuvenated her limbs each time she went out. Hook, being on his ship most of the time, probably hadn't run in quite some time. Yet, he gained on her and fast.

Luckily, the house stood a few yards away, and it didn't take long for her to reach the door. Hook was not far behind, approximately ten feet away and closing in. Tori slammed the door shut, breathing heavily.

"Damn, he's mad," she panted, proceeding to sprint upstairs to her room in a last-ditch effort to save herself, as much as she hated running away.

Her room was simple with soft lavender for the color of her walls and a bed with light blue sheets. The bed took up most of the space, though there was also a TV on a small entertainment center, a bureau, and a closet with shuttered doors. Well, she supposed she would have to hide in the closet until Hook cooled off. Just as her hand touched the knob of one of the closet doors, however, he had made his way upstairs and into her room. Tori barely had any time to scream before he slammed her against the bureau, knocking the breath out of her in the process.

Hook had pressed one of his arms against her chest to prevent her from moving. Even though that first trickle of fear seeped through her, she managed to steel herself to look at him, to study him.

If not for that disgusting mustache, he would be quite handsome and even appear younger. There were hardly any wrinkles on his face, save for the corners of his eyes. Sweat plastered strands of his rather girlishly curled black hair to his forehead, and his hat sat askew atop his head. He still looked infuriated all right but tired, very tired. His shoulders slumped.

"Why do you insist on playing with me like this?" he asked loudly as he gulped for air. "You will go back with me because _I _wish it!"

Tori's hands gripped the handles of the bureau drawers as something to hold on to in her disbelief. This was insanity, how Hook was arrogant enough to think he held power over her. She wasn't some feeble-minded, weak-hearted girl who would up and leave home on command.

Her fury rising now, she resolved to yell back. "What _you _wish? I'm not your possession, Hook, or worse, your pet! You think that I would do what you tell me to like I'm a crew member or something! I've been trying for the past four months to move on from Neverland. Then, you come and ruin everything. I'm not a child any more, so stop treating me like I'm one!"

Hook lifted his arm until it rested against her neck, most likely a signal for her to shut up before he would choke her. At this point, nothing could surprise her.

"Victoria, you're quite foolish, frankly. Do you know what I would have done if you'd agreed to this proposition of mine? I would have given you everything—adventure, treasures, and so forth—everything! Yet, that isn't good enough for you, is it? You always have to toy with me. Insufferable tease!"

How much had she betrayed him in his eyes? Tori felt her heart ache for him, and yet, she didn't know why. There seemed to be a certain pleading in his eyes, blue like the ocean. That emotion burned intensely, as every other emotion caught fire in his eyes. Hook seemed to be studying her as intently as she studied him. His face was close to hers, close enough that she noticed his eyes flit down toward her lips.

Her face flushing light pink, Tori gathered her wits. "You're so spoiled. I mean, why else would you try to win me over with things? Yeah, I guess you don't see me as a child, but I can't go with you. As much as I want to..."

With a whisper of a gasp, she stopped herself and said no more.

What was she saying? Captain Hook was known throughout Neverland as a menacing pirate, an unholy terror on the seven seas. He would do whatever he could to thwart Peter Pan and probably plotted to use her. Right? Everyone called him a villain, and he was arrogant, pompous, cowardly, overbearing, and sometimes rude. From her experience, though, the more times she was captured, he would reveal another facet to him. He could also be courtly, charming, witty, and surprisingly approachable. Maybe underneath his vile exterior as that infamous villain, there existed a man who yearned for a genuine friend to help him get rid of his loneliness.

Currently, Tori was amazed at both how silent Hook was and the proximity of his face to hers. More heat inflamed the back of her neck while she could barely breathe.

She finished, "I can't. I don't want to be caged, because that's always what you've wanted to do to me every time you drag me to the Jolly Roger. I would want to be treated like an equal. But, even with that condition, I still can't."

His left hand, the one that remained intact, reached up to sweep aside a particularly damp strand of her hair. Very subtly, his blue eyes softened.

As her heart impulsively pounded at his touch and how softness flattered those eyes, Tori felt the warmth of his breath on her ear.

In a gentle tone, he whispered, "I truly cannot deny you. As stubborn as I am, you are the only person to whom I will ever admit defeat. Mind you, I don't want to, but I will if I must."

Her heart stopped from shock. Hook gradually proved that he could be vulnerable. And suddenly, she no longer minded their closeness.

She yielded, too. "All right. Fine, you'll have to surrender then...Actually, I'm sor—"

"Hush." His British accent, low and rich, reverberated throughout her entire being. "No apologies."

His lips ever so slightly brushed her ear before he pushed her off the bureau.

Yep, the split personality made its comeback, Tori assured herself as she found herself on the floor. Although, she confessed in her thoughts, she had fully started to relish this tenderness he displayed. Obviously, it wasn't something she should have gotten used to.

"Then, this is goodbye for the last time," Hook sniffed, his back straight and his mouth in a tight frown. "I shall never see you again. Farewell, Victoria Lane. I wish you luck in growing up."

Tori rolled her eyes heavenward, a sense of weariness overcoming her at the same time. "You seriously want to say goodbye like this?"

"Yes. I do. It is better to break it off like this, you know."

As though the lack of emotion to this potentially defining moment didn't matter at all, Hook stormed out of her room without a passing glance.

"Fine, don't change!" she called out to him. "But, being a pouty little kid isn't going to do anything, you know _that_, right?"

A slam of the door was all she received in response, a sound so cold that she shivered. He would do this to her. What had she anticipated? That lapse in his usual demeanor was something he couldn't control, and he wouldn't let it happen again.

For some reason, that made her curl up on her bed and cry.

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><p>Back in Neverland as he so willed it, Hook stood on the shore of an island at which his ship had happened to be docked nearby. He waited for his first mate Mr. Smee to arrive with the rowboat. It was a good thing he alerted the fool ahead of time, shortly after he had formulated his plan, actually. Otherwise, Smee most likely would have been too preoccupied celebrating his captain's absence by sharing rum with the other crew members. They would have thrown a grand bash long into the night. But, no, Hook would hardly ever allow such a spectacle to take place, especially now.<p>

That obstinate Victoria refused to stay near him yet again, as though she took delight in his misery. He should have expected no less.

Why did he utter rubbish such as the conceding of the fact he could never deny her what she wanted? Perhaps he was more to blame this time around. His heart must have interfered, the dratted thing. Well, the poor girl was about to cry, even if she ignored it. For, he had noticed one tiny tear well up in her left eye, if he hadn't imagined things. This took place after she murmured that she badly wanted to go back with him...

Curse women and their contrary natures! She insisted that he change because he acted spoiled...The audacity of that w—.

Ah, Smee came with the rowboat, excellent timing if he didn't say so himself.

With a haughty lift of his head, Hook embarked on the vessel, acting as though he valued it as much as his own ship.

"Welcome back, Capt'n." Smee saluted him before rowing onward.

Hm, and Victoria wrongly assumed that he would treat her as a crew member or as a captive if she agreed to his offer. Honestly, that would have been the farthest thing from the truth. He would have treated her as though she was the world, his world as a matter of fact. Her happiness was his.

Shaking off his sentimentality, Hook looked on toward his ship.

A pirate would always be a lonely occupation, most certainly a pirate captain with mere underlings. Of course, Victoria would say no. She apparently wished to attend this college place.

Out of the blue, Smee asked, "Where's the lass, sir?"

Hook snapped, "She wouldn't accept _my _generous offer! Now, tell me, Smee, why that is. I offered her riches and adventure. What more could a woman want? But, no, she has to be so contrary!"

"Hm, I'd say, sir, tha' maybe if you were more patient with 'er..."

"More patient?" The noble captain jutted out his lower lip in a pout. "Why should I?"

Blast, Victoria was right! He was selfish. And proud. And he could never win her now.

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><p><strong>AN: K, so this was a one-shot. However, it became so big, I divided it up into two parts. The second part will be bigger but not by a whole lot. Maybe about 2,000 more words or so. XD I know. Big.**

**For some reason, my dream portrayed Hook as sort of young-looking, so I will go by that. I hope it doesn't jump the shark too much, but otherwise, this would be creepy. The weird thing is, I characterized him as I've seen in Peter Pan-related movies, obviously. But then, there's a bit of Jareth there and even a tiny bit of Mr. Rochester.**

**Pretty weird, huh? But it's more original Captain Hook plus Jareth, and I referenced Labyrinth toward the beginning. I have no idea why I did that, though. I just love Labyrinth, too.**

**See you at part two!**


	2. Part 2

**A/N: OK, welcome to part two, if you made it through part one. This is where things start taking a turn. Luckily for me, at this point in writing, I actually liked Tori as an OC (at least she has a pretty discernible personality), so I went on forward.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

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><p><strong>Part 2<strong>

Tori's parents returned from their anniversary trip around eight o'clock, shortly after she had eaten supper. Now, she sat up in her room, watching TV with her mind somewhere else. She replayed the events of earlier this afternoon in her head, aware how drastically the atmosphere had changed. It had transformed from mild to intense in the space of twenty minutes, if her digital clock had been accurate. It was odd that when Hook had been at his most imposing to her, he eventually relented to her.

That damn exit of his, though, showed that he abruptly disliked that yielding and that he would rather ignore her than take this loss gracefully. Like a man.

An exasperated snarl emerged from the back of Tori's throat, causing her to punch her pillow. That idiot had made her cry! Crying to her was what losing was to him: weak, foolish, and it should never happen. Well, at the very least, she hadn't proceeded to bawl in front of him. Knowing him, old Hooky would have just shaken her out of it before he got too embarrassed. Come to think of it, the first and last time she had ever cried in front of him was when she was nine, and he ranted to her about cutting Peter's hand off. Tori wryly smiled at the response she had garnered from that episode.

_"What's wrong?" Hook inquired of her in a weary sort of tone. "Come now, Victoria, you really should not...Blast it, child, what is it?"_

_Though her tears had dissipated, a slightly devilish young Tori hammed it up by pretending to sob more anyway. This was kinda fun, making a crusty (not when it came to age) sea captain uncomfortable. She had to do this more often!_

"_W—What i—if y—you feed P—P—Peter to the crocodile?" she innocently whimpered, bursting into more tears. Accomplished actress as she was, they flowed quite nicely._

_He scratched the back of his head with his hand. "I won't, I suppose. I'll...Oh, forget it. If you stop your accursed sniffling, no one will be harmed. Understand?"_

Ah, what a memory. Tori practically laughed at what a clever nine-year-old she was back then. That moment pretty much inspired her to banter with Hook and perturb him in any way she could.

She would never get to now, as she was too old for that sort of thing. Once she came to that dreary manner of thinking, she automatically stopped smiling. Inevitably, she would have to conquer how their twisted, crazy relationship ended and stop sulking. In the meantime, she wanted a few more days' sulking to feel better. The end would definitely justify the means to get there. If he hadn't tricked her with that borderline kindness...

Staring at the wastebasket in the corner of the room, Tori winced at the memory of throwing away nine used pieces of Kleenex today. All she had done for roughly an hour and a half was genuinely sob. Then, a half an hour of lying there, sprawled on her bed, and it hurt her to consider that he had abandoned her just like that.

Oh God...Did she have feelings for him?

Nuh-uh, no way and no dice, she lied to herself. It was better that way to lie to herself. That way, Hook's departure would hurt less.

Hello, she wrote the book on going through all four years of high school, single and loving it. She achieved her A's, never went on a date, never had a boyfriend, and _never _asked anybody out. After all, Tori preferred to see herself as a fiercely independent individual, which she was. She liked to see herself as a little bit stubborn, which she was.

So, of all people, why did she express a secret infatuation for a spoiled, greasy-haired, and sometimes childish pirate captain? Surely, she could do so much better.

"Go out with Peter—that'll make him jealous," she muttered aloud.

With that, she laughed until she cried, cried until she laughed.

* * *

><p>Thankfully, for a change of pace, Hook found himself alone on the Jolly Roger while his crew explored yet another island to search for buried treasure. He would go but...Truthfully, he had been out of it for the last two weeks, almost vaguely depressed. He didn't understand why either, since he was, after all, the great Captain Hook. Anyone would trade places with him. He sailed the seven seas with an iron fist and engaged in swordplay with Pan on occasion. Then again, the wretched boy had, more than once, displayed bad form by simply knocking him overboard. But, he, Hook, had won some battles, too. Not as much as Pan but...<p>

The problem with him was that he liked to fester in his own misery lately. He hadn't had as much fun ordering his men about like he normally did. They were underlings. How could they possibly relate to him?

Victoria Lane, the tease and that stubborn girl, had bested him. That must have been the reason, not like he would divulge _that _to anyone. And no, she hadn't won through banter. She won through doing the unthinkable, the impossible, and the inconceivable.

She, lucky wench, had broken him. Absolutely, entirely broken and ruined him.

If he still grudged her for winning that sword-less battle, he would have compared her to that tick-tocking crocodile in that respect. Like the reptilian monster had taken his hand, she had removed his pride. Of course, he bore her no ill will presently, so he wouldn't dare distribute such a low blow. It would be bad form.

An exotic colored hummingbird, slightly pink and more of a vivid green, fluttered up to him just then. Inspecting his bright red coat, it looked relatively pleased, its beady black eyes aglow.

"What do you want?" Hook half-moaned to it, not in the mood for any sort of company.

When he stretched out his hand, the little devil landed on it.

Ah, but what a pretty thing that tiny bird was, and it wonderfully behaved as though it were tame. Frozen to his deck chair, Hook carefully observed the bird from its diminutive head to its previously blurred wings (it flew rapidly) to its feet. He wished that he could keep it as a pet and place it in a little cage. Something pretty to look at every day.

Now, where was he before it interrupted with its adorable mannerisms? That's right, he mulled over the minor dispute he had with Victoria. Well, she certainly hadn't considered the generous offer on which he had prepared to make good on his word. No, she knew the answer before saying it.

It was quite typical of her to pull such a ruthless stunt, one so blunt that it pierced his heart.

Wait, heart? Oh, he must be joking to himself. Why would he, the most intimidating pirate to have ever existed, condescend to develop affections for a most irrepressible girl? How absurd! Perhaps the rum he drank last night still touched his head somewhat. Most likely, but he reconsidered this thought that seemed to him quite melodramatic.

Oh fine, he would admit this to himself: he missed her, irrevocably.

Victoria constantly used her sharp wit to get a rise out of him, and she, nine times out of ten, succeeded. The joy from her victories (her name suited her all too well) would bring a sparkle to her eyes and a curve to her rosy lips.

The same lips he dared to look at the last time he called upon her...He had to be rational here, not lovesick. So what about the eyes and the hair and the lips? She still had flaws like her pimples, her stubbornness, and her slightly pointed chin.

Oh, blast her, she was nonetheless perfect to him, wasn't she? No matter how frustrating she became, Hook did have some...admiration...for her.

Out of the corner of his nearly closed blue eye, he turned his attention to the little hummingbird on his hand. It had inadvertently taught him a lesson, if it was the correct one he should learn. If he indeed did have some (affection) _admiration_ for Victoria, he should let her choose her destiny. Ugh, another loss straight to his heart. Yet, who was he to pry her future and her choices away from her? She insisted to him that she would rather be uncaged, as would this lovely hummingbird.

"Off you go, little fellow." Hook allowed it to fly off. "And if you see one of my crew, do not speak of my mercy. They'll have a mutiny!"

* * *

><p>Two days passed at Tori's home quite uneventfully, and she was still haunted by what occurred between her and Hook. To not worry her parents, she ate as much as she usually did, even though she was far from the mood. She took her morning walks to chat with Mabel and a couple of the other horses. As busily as ever, she helped out around the farm, feeding and looking after the animals. All of this for her was designed to forget Hook entirely. She would succeed during the daylight hours, but at night, her dreams of him stood out vividly.<p>

On the second night, one dream happened to awaken her.

Hook had returned to the stables when she walked in (like in real life) and surprised her by bestowing her with a loving embrace. With a mysterious smile that fit so appropriately on his lips, he took out a gold medallion from his coat pocket.

"What's this, an apology gift?" Tori asked in the dream, relatively unconvinced of his sincerity.

"No, but this is," he enigmatically responded, leaned intimately closer to her, and then...

Nothing, she woke up at that point.

Would he have kissed her? In a dream, maybe. In real life, no.

After all, she had as good as banished him from her life, telling him that she needed to grow up like Wendy, Jane, and Melinda had before her. And, in typical Hooky fashion, he had reacted badly and almost childishly to the news. The day he would shove his pride aside for her sake was the day she died. Hopefully, he wouldn't show up to the funeral to ruin everything.

Could he have been hurt by the reality check, too? As she restlessly rolled out of bed at one o'clock in the morning, this gave Tori pause for thought. They might have sort of, accidentally wounded each other that day, worse than what they would have done with swords.

To comfort herself from her dream of yearning, she quickly tiptoed to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of apple juice, a favorite from childhood. She would never tire of sweet, tangy apple juice as long as she lived. Even in college, that would be her drink of choice if she experienced a nightmare or a disturbing dream. Feeling better already, Tori plopped herself down on a kitchen table chair in her light summer pajamas (faded gray Addidas T-shirt and blue pajama bottoms) and sipped from her glass. She felt like a kid again in the best possible way. Regarding the glass, she wondered what Hook was up to. Did he miss her, too?

As pathetic as that sounded in her head, she sensed a pressing eagerness to find out. Nah, it would turn out he forgot all about her. He probably relaxed on a warm, exotic island, supping from a glass of lemonade. Or rum.

"He would not miss me," Tori talked to herself as usual, rolling her hazel eyes at her own stupidity. "I basically, but nicely, told him to beat it."

A familiar voice kindly assured her, "He ignored your implications, Victoria. If anything, they made his life very unbearable."

No way. _No way_, he wasn't here right now! Was he? Coyly, Tori turned around, recognized the face (just barely), and nearly knocked her glass over in her surprise. She felt godsmacked.

For, physically at the very least, it was not the same Hook she had come to be acquainted with in twelve years' time. Most of his greasy mustache had been shaved off, leaving behind a considerably less hairy one overall, the smallest bit of facial hair left. The curly raven locks were gone to make way for a shorter yet still shaggy hairdo. And his outfit...

"What the hell are you wearing?" Tori couldn't help but curse due to her overwhelming bewilderment. The outfit in question consisted of blue jeans and an oddly patterned lavender and violet long-sleeved shirt.

Hook smiled warmly. "A disguise. Don't worry, my dear, it's only temporary."

What? But, he hadn't bothered to try for civilian clothes the last time he hid out at the stables. Confused and a little scared, Tori attempted to grab her glass but discovered her fingers too shaky for the task. She was close to knocking it over this time, when Hook darted toward the table, took the glass, and set it down on a nearby counter. Smart move, she would grant him that.

"There you go," he told her softly. "If that dratted thing fell over, I would be in major trouble. Can't risk waking your parents, you see."

"Y—Yeah." Tori then sighed. "I don't know what's wrong with me let alone what's wrong with you. A headache is the last thing I need tonight."

She swore she caught a flash of concern in his considerably milder blue eyes. "Why? What is troubling you?"

Slapping herself in the forehead, she had had enough. "OK, OK, I am beyond confused right now. Who are you and what have you done with Captain Hook? First off, you actually give a crap. And then, well, you just show up after being cold to me before you left last time. Did you drink too much? Wouldn't surprise me one bit, Hooky. Then, there's your mustache or wha—"

"Shhh." Hook placed two fingers to her lips. "At the rate you're going, you are sure to wake your parents before I do. Allow me to explain myself."

She reluctantly nodded to let him continue, half-hoping he would sufficiently answer all of her many questions. Her heart had skipped a beat or two when his calloused fingers brushed her lips. Wow, he looked much younger than she assumed. He couldn't have been older than twenty-five, though he was technically ageless. Otherwise, he would have been long dead by now, like her great-grandmother Wendy.

"Victoria...I confess that when we parted ways, I was deeply troubled by your decision. I thought it meant you pushed me aside because I am who I am—a restless scalawag of a pirate."

Oh, how she liked that pirate terminology! It brought back some great memories. Nonetheless, she pondered over why Hook behaved more gently than what she was accustomed to. Maybe it was the courtly side of his split personality speaking to her. Ah, good.

Hook continued, "I then remembered what you said regarding me being spoiled. That was true, as much as I loathe to admitting that to you."

"Knew it." Tori couldn't resist gloating.

He silenced her with a _look_. Now, that Hook she remembered quite well.

"What I mean to say is, Victoria, that I'm deeply sorry for what I did in forcing you to come away with me. It certainly wasn't the wisest of plans, and I'm humbly begging for your forgiveness."

He was dead serious, no tricks this time. His blue eyes once more pleaded with her to grant him this wish, to release him from his pain.

Tori genuinely smiled at him, even patting his hand. "All right, I forgive you. Even though I cried for an hour and a half after you left, I forgive you."

"What? You did what?"

"Ah, guilt—burns, doesn't it?"

To her amazement, he chuckled. "I learned my lesson, yes."

His behavior impressed her with its mellowness, partially due to not alerting her parents to him so that they could murder him and partially due to...what was the other reason? There had to be another reason behind his visit and his plan to beg for her forgiveness. Not to mention he had a pleasant sounding laugh, oddly enough, a gentle rasp in his throat. That was his natural laughter all right, none of the "evil" laughter he put on to try to strike fear into her.

Tori blinked several times to avoid blushing. "What made you change your mind?"

He gazed at her, all beguiling and captivating. "You will find it hard to believe, but I looked at this hummingbird in my hand and—should I tell you outside?"

The great outdoors to Tori was never greater than when Hook posed that question to her. That way, there would be no sleeping people to worry about.

"OK."

A true smile curved his lips. "Good."

As they walked outside (as soon as Tori quickly put on her shoes), she sensed that things had changed. In what way, she was unable to specify...except maybe it was more companionable, walking alongside him. It reminded her of the rare occasions he had been in an amicable mood around her.

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, thankful that he wasn't even looking her way. What a drastic change he had put himself through. The mustache wasn't as thick as before, but though his hair was shorter, the curls were still there. This amused Tori, who had hitherto thought the curls fake and caused by much pulling and teasing. Apparently, his black hair was naturally curly. Some of it bobbed near his startlingly beautiful blue eyes—cobalt, if she had to name a shade.

She nearly jumped when he stared back at her. "Are you ill?"

"Wh—What? No! If I was sick, would I have run that fast the other day?"

Hook shrugged. "I suppose not. But, that has been two weeks ago where I come from."

Oh yeah, that made her feel incredibly attractive, him being curious if she had developed an illness while he was gone. He could say she had, but it was one of an entirely different nature that he would otherwise surmise. As for the time gap, that didn't faze her, as she had been familiar with it most of her life.

"Well, it's been two days here. So, I haven't had a chance to get sick. Good thing you noticed a fictional disease, though. Very observant of you, Hooky."

He sighed in frustration. "Can you please not start a quarrel? This is far enough."

"Since you said please for a change, I'll stop. It didn't even start."

"According to you and your demented logic," Hook muttered sarcastically.

When he mentioned that they had gone far enough, he implied that a location a few feet away from the actual barn itself was a nice, private spot to converse. He sat down on the grass, whereas Tori remained standing, staring up at the night sky above them. Whatever happened, the stars and the crescent moon would be the only witnesses to it. She liked it that way, because she knew those inanimate objects would make sure to keep this moment a secret. The fact that it was just the two of them out under this vast expanse seemed to create this really special moment.

Slightly befuddled as to why she hadn't sat down yet, Hook tilted his head as he looked at her. "Sit down."

"My property. I can do whatever I want." And she proceeded to do a disastrous attempt of a cartwheel that sent her tumbling down. One of her hands touched his sleeve as she fell. It was then that her fingers jolted with electricity from that simple, unconscious gesture.

Tori smiled dryly at her failure. "Well, you get the gist of what I meant anyway. So, what's this about a hummingbird?"

"I have wished to relate that story to you for the past ten minutes. You're squandering time, Victoria."

"And so are you, Mr. King of Sarcastic Comments," she retorted.

Hook concealed a smile behind his arm, charmed by this girl's obscure sense of humor. Totally oblivious to his appreciation of it, she rolled onto her stomach, her eyes watching him intently.

"I was sitting out on the ship's deck," he began, awkwardly averting his eyes. "And a hummingbird came along while I had started thinking about you. It sat on my palm without my permission."

"Ah, so you killed the hummingbird with your hook, because it dared to interrupt your meditation. What a great ending, not!" Tori gave him a hard time.

What did he admire about this girl again? Hm, yes, just about everything.

With that in mind, he didn't suppress his smile as he continued, "You may be disappointed, Victoria, but I didn't react violently. As I was about to point out, I contemplated keeping the hummingbird to own as a pet. I have a small cage I'd used in the past, see, that it could have lived in. But, then"—his smile faded—"I remembered what you said to me in your anger, how you assumed I would treat you like that. You thought I would hold you captive for a while again. What I set out to do...I released the hummingbird soon after that."

That lapse in his story, when he prepared to mention what his original intentions were the other day, perplexed Tori. His pride must have intervened at the last second again, scolding him for nearly professing weakness. Vulnerability was not one of his strong suits.

She abruptly sat up, fixing him with her serious stare. "What were you going to say?"

"Hm?" Hook played dumb, a foolish maneuver. Though she could be odd at times, Tori was exceedingly sharp and could see through anything with her keen perception.

"Don't fake it, Hook, what were you going to say about what you planned to do with me last time? We've known each other forever. You ought to tell me!"

Sheepishly, he turned away from her completely solemn expression, one that discomforted him. It wasn't an everyday occurrence, after all, to see her so serious, though he was aware of her capability. He would never deny her anything.

Ready to be more of a man regarding this, he returned her even stare. "I...I don't want you to grow up, Victoria. But, that little hummingbird taught me a lesson that day. It would have been adamant about freedom if it had the choice. I had idiotically considered taking that away from it. Likewise, I had planned to do the same with you. Regardless of my opinion, it is your decision, Victoria, your destiny to choose between here and Neverland. I will not meddle either way."

This was what Tori longed to hear all along from him, yet why did she have second thoughts about this? Pure anguish revealed itself in Hook's eyes, probably because he spoke from some place deep inside him. She felt a pang of guilt for wrenching that secret out of him. However, that still didn't explain the bizarre outfit he wore.

"I, um...thanks for leaving it up to me. But, what's with your get-up?"

Focusing too steadily on a particular star, Hook tried not to look at her. "I thought I wanted to stay here, if you wouldn't go back with me."

He did all this—shaving, cutting his hair, and buying clothes he figured would be "normal" to wear here—all of this for her? Now, a definite tension filled in between them, one that was rather uncomfortable.

"But, that's not what you want, is it?" Tori found herself speaking softly.

He shook his head. "Not particularly. Neverland offers all sorts of adventure that is never dull, and I do love to boss around the crew. I actually lived on Ear once but...I wouldn't trade my experiences in Neverland for anything—except when that blasted Pan cut off my hand, that is. And the crocodile. Overall, though, I've rather enjoyed playing the villain."

Tori smiled at the last part of the speech and so did Hook.

A contemplative silence fell while she reflected over what he told her concerning how much he loved living in Neverland and how he fit in perfectly. She would never ask him to alter his entire personality or, worse, surrender his swashbuckling life for one as mundane as Earth life would be for him. It would sit right with neither him nor her, if he would feel utterly miserable there. She couldn't ask him to stay if that wasn't in his heart, even for her sake. They both knew where he belonged.

All that explanation, but she nonetheless needed to know in detail about why he would be so...hurt, she supposed...about her maturing into adulthood.

"Why don't you want me to grow up?" she inquired, her face already flushing.

For, in her increasingly pounding heart, Tori had dug up an answer that was or wasn't the most accurate one. Before she could jump to conclusions, though, she had to hear it from Hook. Impulsively, she had to.

He shifted closer toward her. "Why, you ask?"

"I'm not totally clueless—I doubt it anyway—but I need to hear why."

Upon registering the solemnity of her face, the one he ached to touch, he resolved to get on with it. "I may be surrounded by other pirates but...but I'm terribly lonely. Lately, I would have given anything for you to stay in Neverland forever.

"But, that look on your face when I tried to...I shall admit it..._force _you to come back with me...It told me that you would refuse. I realized then that you would choose to grow up, so you would turn your back on that place, on your friend Pan...on me..."

Tori drew a sharp intake of breath, only half-believing that he indeed confessed to feeling something for her. Now, she hoped she wasn't wrong.

Just after she internally expressed this, Hook rested his hand on her shoulder while he maneuvered his right arm so that the hook wouldn't hurt her. That arm he situated around her back, bestowing her with an awkward embrace. Not that Tori minded.

His eyes harbored a sweet gentleness that she used to be skeptical of existing. As he proudly said, he delighted in his role as a masterfully crafty villain in his own mind. That cobalt color in his eyes had never appeared lovelier. She mentally snapped a photograph of his face, framed by those raven locks, and noted his handsome countenance.

"Victoria, all I wanted was for you to be by my side." His voice, hypnotic and soothing, enthralled her. "If you do decide to follow through with growing up, you will forget everything. You might not now, not right away, but you will. If you ever marry and have children, the memories will fade. As though you never visited Neverland."

That had to be true, considering that Tori's mother once told her when her dad was outside with the combine that she knew of Neverland but only in bits and pieces. She was never quite as passionate over that mystical place as her daughter was. Once Hook informed her that all of her cherished memories would fade, it felt like some part of her died. This implied that she could hardly use this snapshot moment for future reference. By the time she was as old as Grandma Jane, she would forget everything. Neverland would be obliterated from her mind one day in the future, and she would hardly know it.

Some strange sensation stung at her eyes, a sensation that caused Tori to cringe. Her worst fear would come to fruition: she neared tears that she would be shedding in front of Hook.

She blinked as much as possible, her vision blurring, as she placed her fingers around the base of the hook. "I don't ever want to forget. This is a way harder decision than I thought it was going to be. I mean, Neverland is beautiful. It's near perfect in every way. And then, of course, Peter is a great friend, even if I'm closer with friends here. Then, there's you..."

Her voice came close to breaking with a lump lodged in her throat. Why was she crying now? Talk about a delayed reaction.

Humiliated by the possibility that she would dissolve into petty tears, Tori started to turn her head away. But, a hand carefully turned her chin.

The most tender smile she had ever seen showed on Hook's face, a sight that shocked her numb. Here she was, frozen and unable to breathe since merely a small space separated their faces from each other. Warmth rushed to her cheeks tenfold compared to the last time they had been in intimate proximity. When he had abandoned her to her fate in her room, she thought he would never forgive her or set foot near her house.

Tori succeeded in gulping down the lump. "I would never turn my back on you on purpose. I'm not sure if I want to live here for the rest of my life. Like I said, I'm clueless about college."

Hook barely touched her cheek with his fingertips, though that simple gesture caused her to shiver. "Then, why make it any more difficult than it has to be?"

All of a sudden, she knew he didn't speak of college. "That's what I'm thinking, Hook."

"My dear," he dropped his voice to a whisper. "My dear Victoria, you can call me James if you like."

If she currently dreamed in her bed, this was surely the best dream she had ever had. She lifted her face to his, desperately yearning that what he would do next would not disappoint. Yes, his lips, chapped by sea air, descended toward her...

Before she knew it, before she fully recognized the thrill that jolted up her spine, he pressed his lips to hers. About time, some far off voice in Tori's head joyfully remarked. She must have ignored it, because suddenly, she kissed him back, fervently. Her whole body heated up as though on fire and as malleable as clay. How could she have missed out on this for as long as she rarely fantasized about it? That first kiss swept her off the ground. She could have been floating weightlessly in space for all she knew. Gripping those raven curls, Tori sighed from the pleasant emotion she got with all this passion. Hook's one hand now rested on her waist, and he gradually parted their lips for some air.

He took in enough to breathe, "I love you," a true confession that ghosted against the skin of her neck. How was this guy Hook? Oh, she didn't care!

Letting out a soft laugh, she responded with, "Wow, honestly? Me too. By the way, why does the guy always get to kiss first? Anyway, my turn now."

Hook chuckled but was more than willing to oblige. Meanwhile, his opinion on the whole matter was that it was hopeless. He had become quite soft around Victoria, though as long as none of his crew found out, it would be their little secret. Besides, for a novice, she proved herself as an impressively wonderful kisser. She had placed both hands on either side of his face and...

For all he knew, he dreamed in his bed too, without formulating the plan that led him back to her. Wait, no...No dream could ever compete.

At one point, their kissing had grown so intense that they both lay next to each other on the grass. It was then that Tori broke it. The next hour or longer, she would engage him in conversation.

"So, James, huh?" she brought up, playing with the collar of his hideous button-down shirt. "The problem with that is I'd hate to ruin it by calling you Jimmy. Jim would be even worse because of Slim Jims, and that reminds me of beef jerky. That's terrible."

"What's jerky?"

One problem with Hook staying in her world was that it would take forever to define every single thing for him. The poor fellow barely knew what school was. If he did, he pretended to be ignorant of it. Tori concluded it was the latter since he used to live on Earth. But, that was over a hundred years ago.

Laughing it off, she shook her head. "Never mind. But, listen, James, I'll only call you that if you call me Tori."

Bewilderment was all over his face. "Why ruin your name with something as passé as a nickname? Victoria is a beautiful name."

"Because Victoria is longer and more complicated than it needs to be. Get me?"

"Very well, Tori it is. You have tortured me in worse ways before."

Tori absentmindedly wondered if Hook meant the painful hours after that eventful day that had taken an unexpected turn. In that case, he did have the right to aver that.

She teased him. "You seem to like to throw these pity parties for yourself, don't you?"

"It's the truth. Those two weeks in Neverland were blatant torture for me."

"I can't say I blame you, James. It was torture for me, too."

With one arm, he drew her close to him, and they studied the sky together. It was weird, Tori thought as she came to a revelation. Neverland shared that same, exact sky too, and that was a world apart.

She leaned her head against his chest, and she swore that she heard his heart skip a beat. Hmph, she smugly smiled, she wouldn't be surprised. However, she loved this, the two of them alone out here. Her hand brushed against his face, feeling his stubble until a tiny bandage near his nose alerted her.

"Cut yourself shaving?"

"Yes, I sneaked inside this unoccupied house and used some shaving device. I am amazed that I hadn't removed my other hand."

Tori grinned. "You have a special attachment with that other hand, don't you?"

Hook let out a satisfied sigh once her hand continued onward toward his hair. "Well, it's the one I write with, so I would hope I won't lose it."

"Ah, so you're a lefty! So's my mom."

"I remember her. She would poke fun at my hair and this hook. Perfectly ridiculous!"

"Go Mom."

He stifled a laugh. "You're an impossible girl, Tori."

"And James, you are the silliest man I've ever met. But, that doesn't mean we can't be close," she commented, though she was confident they already were.

As she turned over to face him, he kissed her on the forehead. "Indeed. I dare say we've grown rather intimate with each other."

She adored how their dry senses of humor clashed and how they wouldn't allow something as sentimental as romance to disrupt their minor squabbles.

They continued talking until Hook asked at one point, "How old would you be then? Around eighteen or so?"

"Yeah, nineteen next May. How old would you be if you weren't ageless?"

"Hm...around twenty-two or twenty-three. I never really paid attention before I set off for Neverland. But, that is a long story for another day."

And Tori very much desired to listen to that tale, one of which that might delve into his childhood and why he escaped England.

A gut feeling told her that he may not have experienced the best childhood, which would explain why he came off as a cold, hardened man when she first met him. Unbelievably, at this moment, he lay close beside her as his eyes gazed at her adoringly. Sooner or later, she would have to come up with a plan to ease her parents' sadness due to what she finally chose.

"James, I've decided what I want to do now."

Solemn, he unintentionally gulped. "And what is your decision?"

Her face stayed deadly serious before breaking out into a smile. "I'm coming with you."

At first, Hook could hardly gather his wits to believe that she chose this option for herself, when so many other maidens moved on with their lives. Tori must have considered Neverland her life if she agreed. He hadn't the slightest idea how to react to this.

When he heard himself laughing, he was more relieved than anything with that invisible, burdensome weight being lifted from his shoulders. Embracing her more tightly than he intended to, he stroked her dark hair with his one hand. He almost wished he had both of them at his disposal, but she would insist on him never changing. She whole-heartedly accepted him for who he was.

"How are you going to handle the departure?" he inquired, unsure about if she would willingly leave her parents in such a manner.

In her unmistakable way, Tori dismissively waved a hand, as though she had absolutely no qualms over this. "Leave it all to me. I'll probably be honest with Mom through a letter. Hopefully, she'll make up something to tell Dad. It'll probably be more or less I went off for Cedar Rapids way early or something. And luckily for me, Grandma Jane lives not too far away from there anyway. It'll be fine."

Hook feebly smiled back at her. "You care this immensely for me, Tori?"

"Yeah." Briefly, she touched her lips to his. "I do. I love you."

And she would travel the globe with him. It seemed that Hook's days of being solo were over.

More conversation passed between them, mostly with Tori telling Hook what she had been up to prior to this summer. The topic soon changed to some favorite childhood memories that she had here on Earth.

"You will tell me more about yourself later, right?"

Hook nodded without saying anything.

"Promise?"

"Yes, I promise...though you should never take the word of a pirate."

Reluctantly, she rose from the grass to wander back alone toward her house.

Tori had only taken a few steps before she ran back toward Hook to bestow him with a long-lasting embrace.

"Wait for me for another half hour or so, OK?"

"You mean to leave soon then?"

She stood back from him, her eyes unabashedly meeting his. "The sooner we set off another amazing adventure, the better, as far as I'm concerned."

Fondly playing with a few strands of her hair, he murmured, "I'll be waiting."

Thus, young Victoria Lane did the unlikely by walking down a different path diverging from the one the other Darling women took. But, out of those before her, she had the largest appetite for adventure. A bit of surprising romance on the side was nice, too.

Though she resigned to never quite grow up, she no longer saw anything wrong with that prospect.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ah, so yeah. Hook's odd choice of outfit was in the dream. Obviously, there's no way a shirt that ugly exists in real life. I had trouble coming up with a good explanation to go along with it, too. But, I'm satisfied with the end result when it comes to that. I ended up liking my choice of an OC personality, too. For some reason, a sarcastic, joking OC I thought would suit Hook perfectly.**

**Hm, I don't know what else I was going to explain, but that's about-oh yeah. Even though the end might mean (for some people) that she's running away from obligation, please don't take it as that. Rather, take it as keeping that inner child of hers instead of getting rid of it.**

**Now, I'm off my soap box. Hopefully, you all enjoyed this two-shot.**

**Edit 7/30: Oh, by the way, I'm thinking of writing a stand-alone one-shot sequel (sort of a companion piece) to this story to maybe explain some things that I didn't really remember putting in this two-shot. How would you guys feel about that? Review or PM me or something to let me know. If I don't get any requests for it (but PLEASE feel free to send one in if you really want the sequel-ish type one-shot), I might just go on full speed ahead with it.**


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